


Its Own Reward

by Katsuko



Series: Hurt/Comfort Bingo 2012 the Sequel [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Community: hc_bingo, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-03
Updated: 2012-08-03
Packaged: 2017-11-11 07:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katsuko/pseuds/Katsuko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Loki had been fully recovered from his fall, he would have seen the calculating glint in Thanos' eyes as he spoke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Its Own Reward

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**hc_bingo**](http://hc-bingo.dreamwidth.org/) , the prompt being "Stockholm syndrome."
> 
> And yep. I'm insane and started a second bingo card.

_It was so very easy, he reflected as he sent his agent through the portal that would lead right to the tesseract. The peoples of Asgard had grown too arrogant, too certain of their place as the most elite in the universe, and it showed in just how little effort it had taken to win the little lost foundling to his chosen race's cause._

_If only the rulers of that planet had seen fit to share those secrets that were most necessary, it was possible that Thanos would not have found his perfect general quite so soon._

_But Odin All-Father's loss was his gain. And all it had taken was a few careful lies, lies that the so-called god of lies had missed, in order to forge his perfect sword._

_And even if the fallen princeling failed, Thanos would know exactly where in the universe the tesseract lie. After all, the All-Father would never even dream of leaving his once-lost youngling on an alien world when he could restore him to Asgard._

_So, so **very** easy..._

 

The void seemed to go on forever.

Loki had been hoping, _praying_ for a quick death in the emptiness of space when he had loosened his grip on Gungnir. He had failed in all his plans: failed to destroy Jotunheim, failed to prove himself more worthy of the throne than Thor ( _he had never wanted the thrown, truly, only ever wanted to be on par with Thor, and even in that he had failed miserably_ ), failed to make the All-Father ( _not his father, never his father, his father was Jotun and so was he_ ) proud of him for even a moment.

_No, Loki._

So he had let go, and he had hoped that the void would make short work of him.

Instead, he lost track of the minutes, the hours, the days as he fell through space. Loki knew not how long he had been falling, only that he was _still_ falling, only that he felt as if he was never going to _stop_ falling. He slept and lost more time when he finally awoke once more, and still he continued to fall.

Until finally, painfully, he stopped falling.

 

The worst part of any fall, of course, was the landing. The higher one fell from, the more painful it could, would, be. And Loki had fallen from so very, very far up that he blacked out from the pain of nearly every bone in his body breaking on impact.

When awareness returned, he found himself in a bed in a room that was similar and yet very different from the healing rooms of the palace where he'd grown to adulthood. There were straps about his torso, and odd bandages wrapped around his arms and legs and chest and everywhere he could see; there were bandages also wrapped around his head and mouth, only his eyes and nose left untouched by the unusual fabric. He rolled his eyes to the side, hoping to find some answer to how he had arrived in this place, and saw two figures talking quietly in the corner.

The smaller figure was cloaked completely; the only distinguishing features that Loki could see from the bed were a pair of hands with six digits, four fingers and two thumbs on each of them. The skin of the creature was as fair as his own, if not more so.

The taller gave Loki a brief moment of fear; for that moment, he had feared that the Jotnar were behind his untimely rescue and were only healing him so as to better inflict later torture. It took a second glance to realize that the tall male figure was not nearly as tall as a Jotun, although he was taller than any Asgardian. The other indicator that the figure was no Jotun was the color of his skin; the Jotnar were blue, as Loki knew far too well, while this mysterious benefactor was closer to purple.

He had only enough time to wonder once more what fate was in store for him when the pair noticed that he was awake. As one unit they turned, and Loki was able to note that there was an odd texture to the purple creature's skin and the cloaked figure's eyes were hidden from view. The taller had vibrant, blue-violet eyes that glowed with inner power; the smaller wore an odd, open mask on the exposed portion of his face that framed his very red mouth.

"You are awake, at last," the cloaked being said, voice a sibilant hiss. "We were starting to believe you never would."

"Who are you?" Loki asked. He winced at the sound of his voice, cracked from disuse. There had been no reason to speak in the void, and he was paying the price for it now.

"My companion has no true name," the taller being replied, his voice strong yet oddly soothing. "You may call him the Other if you must speak of him. As for myself, I am called Thanos of the Titans." He paused for only a moment before adding, "However, we still do not know who _you_ are, my friend."

The fallen prince of Asgard was silent.

It seemed too easy, really, to believe that he had found himself amongst those who would be kind to him. It was only courtesy that had led them to treat his injuries, of course, for one could not allow a stranger to one's own realm to suffer unduly. So it was jarring, just a bit, to have this Thanos speak kindly to him.

Perhaps, though, it was simple courtesy still.

"Loki."

Thanos' lips quirked into a slight smile. "You must have a home, friend Loki."

A moment of silence once more, before: "Loki of Asgard."

Now a true smile crossed the creature's face. "Well met indeed, friend Loki of Asgard. My physicians have told me that you will recovery, if slowly. Rest now; we shall talk more when you awake once again."

Thanos and the Other swept out of the room, the latter giving him a polite nod as they left. Loki watched them leave silently, frowning to himself before letting his eyes slip closed once more.

He was not certain of this place, or of these strangers, but he did need his rest. Once he recovered, he would try to find a path to walk away from here. As an afterthought, he whispered the counter to the spell that blocked him from Heimdall's sight.

He was certain that Thor, and possibly his mother ( _Frigga would always, always be Mother, she had shown true remorse over keeping the secret for so very long_ ), would believe him dead. It would give them some small comfort if Heimdall could inform them that he yet lived; he would worry over consequences after he left this odd place.

 

_What Loki did not know was that the Other had powerful magic of his own to wield. He would never find out that Heimdall would never see him until Loki had either left Thanos' keep or the Other dropped the spell that was blocking all of them from the Gatekeeper's all-seeing gaze.  
_

 

It was several days, to Loki's estimate, before his host's physicians removed the bandages and released him from their care.

The creatures that inhabited this place were even stranger than the Other. They were equal parts reptilian and mammalian and machine, yet somehow the combination was not unappealing. Rather, these Chitauri were an oddly endearing reminder to the fallen prince that there were many more races inhabiting the universe than existed in the nine realms.

One of the Chitauri, he was not sure which of the dozen he had seen thus far, chittered at Loki until he realized that the creature wished for him to follow it. He humored the being, glancing at the barren landscape all around them as they passed out of the healing house and made their way to what passed at Thanos' throne room. Loki was briefly, uncomfortably reminded of Laufey's crumbling palace in Jotunheim before forcing the thoughts away.

Thanos offered a warm smile upon noticing his guest's presence. "Ah, Loki of Asgard, greetings. I see that you are recovered from your accidental arrival. I am glad for this."

"I thank you for your kind words, Lord Thanos," Loki responded with a nod of his head. "And also for your hospitality; I only hope that you do not tire of my presence before I am able to continue my journey, although this time I intend to choose my path rather than simply fall."

"Do not worry so, my friend," the Titan said almost dismissively. "You are more than welcome to stay so long as you desire. Surely you suffered from some great misfortune that brought you to my Chitauri. Please, I would hear your story, Loki of Asgard."

If Loki had been fully recovered from his fall, he would have seen the calculating glint in Thanos' eyes as he spoke. If he'd been at full emotional and magical strength, the fallen prince of Asgard would have told a pretty lie of some sort and sidestepped onto one of Yggdrasil's many paths leading away from the Chitauri home world. If nothing else, he would have _felt_ the compulsion spells that had been laid by the Other in anticipation of the time the Asgardian-raised Jotun was summoned to Thanos' side.

But Loki was still magically and emotionally weakened from not only his fall from Asgard but from his convalescence in the Chitauri's care, and thus he missed all the signs that something was _not quite right_.

Instead, he began to speak, and did not stop until he'd told Thanos everything from the moment he conceived of the plan to interrupt Thor's coronation through to his suicidal fall from the shattered remains of the Bifrost.

 

Loki slowly grew to enjoy the time he spent in the presence of his host. Thanos was always interested in hearing more about his guest's home and his travels during the better times, and Loki seemed to be unable to stop himself from sharing whatever tale the Titan asked of him. As his magical strength slowly recovered, he was able to illustrate his tales somewhat, to the delight of any Chitauri that happened to be present during his stories.

Still, in spite of the pleasant company he found surrounding him, Loki wondered why there had been no sign of anyone seeking him.

Yes, the Bifrost had been badly damaged, and it would take at minimum several months to repair it; possibly a full mortal year or two could pass before the passage from Asgard to the rest of the nine realms was fully operational once again. However, Odin himself had taught Loki that there were other methods of travel than the Bifrost, had actually shown him the many branches of Yggdrasil that one could follow if one trusted enough in the darker side of magic to guide him safely to his destination. It was not impossible for Odin to open such a door, yet even though what felt like a full month had slipped by, nobody had come in search of the fallen prince.

Surely Heimdall had seen him by now. Loki had taken to purposely sending out flares of his power, signals that the Gatekeeper would _not_ be able to miss. It was impossible to think that the most powerful Present Seer in all the realms could miss the clear signs that his once-king was displaying, so why had he told no one where Loki was?

In his concern, the Jotun raised his concerns to one of his newfound friend.

The Other made a sympathetic sound low in his throat. "You are the younger prince, correct?" he asked, humming thoughtfully at Loki's nod. "And you were king regent for a time, you have said as much to me and my Lord. It _does_ seem a bit odd that the All-Seer of your home world has apparently been unable to see you. You have not been maintaining a blocking spell, my friend?"

"No," Loki replied, a frown crossing his lips. "I dropped my cloaking spell when I was recovering from my arrival to your world. Heimdall should be able to see me."

"Perhaps," the Other finally said after a long moment of silence, "he is, for some reason, _not_ looking for you? You _did_ fall a great distance, friend Loki. Perhaps they believe you dead."

The fallen prince scowled. "Impossible. Heimdall could _not_ have missed my magical signature. There must be another explanation."

He also took his concern to Thanos, who listened just as quietly and sympathetically as the Other had. However, he had a different opinion on the matter.

"You have said that this Gatekeeper held no loyalty towards you while you were seated on the throne of Asgard, nor did he ever show you the respect due to the royal family," the Titan rumbled. "I do not wish to speak poorly of those you have known for your entire life, friend Loki of Asgard, but I feel that perhaps the Gatekeeper is keeping your survival from your mother and brother."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Loki asked, not entirely certain he believed that was even a remote possibility.

Thanos stood from his throne and moved to look out over his dying realm. "Perhaps it could be that he feels that your mother would forget you after a period of mourning, and would simply give up on you. Perhaps it could be that he feels that your brother could be a better king were he not connected with one who made a single poor decision while in command of your realm. Perhaps it could be that he is jealous for some reason and wishes that you were to never return. I do not know, my friend Loki, but it seems to me that this could all be."

Loki tried to dismiss the concerns of his friends; it was simply impossible to believe that Heimdall would show such pettiness, even to Odin's foundling Jotun runt of a son. There had to be some other reason that no one came.

Yet as the days continued to slip into weeks into another full month since he'd arrived in Thanos' kingdom with no sign of the All-Father or his brother or anyone from Asgard, Loki began to wonder if the Other's concerns were valid.

Slowly, over the course of the next set of weeks, Loki began to believe that Heimdall was keeping his survival from the royal family out of pettiness, of some twisted jealousy. Up until this point, Loki had held a form of apathy towards the Gatekeeper, not appreciating the man's disloyalty and act of treason while he had sat on Odin's throne; now, as he dwelled on Heimdall's lack of actions, his feelings shifted towards a slow-burning hatred.

Heimdall would pay; Loki would see to it.

But even as his hatred festered, the fallen prince wondered to himself if, perhaps, there was a seed of truth in Thanos' words as well. Perhaps Heimdall had perpetuated the idea that Loki had died in his fall, no matter that the Gatekeeper could See him clearly. Was it possible even now that Asgard mourned the death of one prince? And if so, how long would they mourn?

Thor and Mother, he felt, would probably still be in mourning; Odin may not have even bothered to do more than follow the basic period of mourning before slipping back into the role of king.

The people of Asgard? Well, Loki would be surprised if they hadn't long since ceased mourning and were instead _celebrating_ his supposed death. After all, there were many in his former home realm that had disliked the younger prince; his death would be cause for joyous revels for at minimum two-thirds of the kingdom, he was certain.

And Thor's _friends_ were likely leading the way.

Loki's hate for the people who had treated him with less respect than a prince deserved grew as the weeks slipped into another month, and he slowly came to believe that no one would ever come looking for him. Even in his rage, a great sorrow took hold of him, and Loki mourned the life that would never again be his.

And as he mourned, Thanos and the Other and the Chitauri were there to support him.

 

_Loki never noticed the manipulation._

_Thanos was devious and subtle, playing upon the little foundling's own doubts and fears and giving them his voice to make them sink further into the fallen prince's mind. He smiled to himself as he watched the Other plant more doubts and fears in fertile, susceptible soil. He felt delight as his foundling's distress grew over the lack of contact from any of his people, still unaware of the Other's spells as he had grown used to the feel of it as his own magic had healed._

_And when Loki of Asgard finally fell into despair, Thanos had to bite back a crow of victory even as he played the role of supportive friend._

 

More months passed by, slowly in the never-changing realm of the Chitauri.

Loki still felt hatred and despair in equal measures, not certain if he wanted to raze Asgard or simply ignore its continued existence. He was grateful for his new friends, the only beings who had never judged him for who or what he was; he seriously doubted that the Chitauri even knew what a Jotun was, and he didn't think that either Thanos or the Other cared even though he was sure they _did_ know.

They had only ever given him their friendship and their assistance when he was in a desperate state of need. The fallen prince was not used to having anyone care for him ( _or so he told himself; some part of him, buried deep inside, could remember with quiet fondness the mother who had always treated her children with deep affection and the father who would set aside time each day for his sons and the brother who always wanted him at his side and the girl warrior-in-training who had fought many battles for him against those who derided magic as weaker than the sword_ ), and so he eagerly lapped up what Thanos and the Other and the Chitauri offered to him.

It was not very long before Loki noticed that Thanos worried for his chosen people. The Chitauri home world was actively dying, and even when the fallen prince would try to cast restorative spells the effects only lasted for hours at the most.

"This world is almost dead," Thanos informed Loki quietly when the younger finally came forward with his concerns . "It will not be too long before my Lady comes to begin collecting those in my charge. And while I long to see Her sweet face again, I do not wish it to come at the cost of my chosen ones."

"Is there a way to save this world?" Loki asked.

For a long time, the Titan remained silent, simply looking out over his kingdom. "There are tales of an object of great power," he finally replied, "that is supposed to be able to open gateways between worlds, much like the Bifrost you have spoken of. If we could find that object, that Cosmic Cube, it is possible that I could find a new world for my dear Chitauri."

The fallen prince of Asgard frowned to himself. "This object you speak of sounds like it could be something that the All-Father abandoned many ages ago. We call it the tesseract, and I believe it was left on Midgard. The inhabitants of that world call it Earth."

"And do you know how to find this Earth, friend Loki?" the Titan asked, a faint note of hope entering his voice. "Would those who dwell there be willing to let my chosen ones live amongst them?"

Loki thought of the mortals he had seen through the eyes of the Destroyer, those people who were willing to face a force they could not possibly defeat without even blinking. There had been an emblem on the chariots they'd driven, a shield that the Jotun knew meant they were the defenders of that small, backwater realm.

"We would have to show them the way," he said at last. "We will likely have to display a show of force to convince them that your rule would be best for them."

Thanos smiled. "Then you shall go on ahead, my friend Loki of Asgard," he replied. "Find this tesseract for me and mine, and I will send some of my dear Chitauri to assist you in preparing the Earth for my arrival."

 

_It had been so very easy. The fallen prince of Asgard was now his general, leading the invasion gladly for Thanos. The Titan warlord sat back in his throne and smiled to himself._

_He hoped that his Lady Death enjoyed the gifts that his general would be sending Her way so very soon, and he waited patiently to find out if he would be venturing to Earth or Asgard to retrieve both his prizes._

_After all, it was not every day that one was able to tame a Jotun prince. Thanos had no intention of allowing Odin All-Father to keep his newest pet._


End file.
